The chassis of 23 floats in China's National Day parade in October were sold at a charity auction on Tuesday.

The proceeds, altogether 3.5 million yuan (US$512,000), would go to China Health and Medical Development Foundation and other Chinese charity organizations, said Zhao Jingguang, a spokesman for Beiqi Foton Motor Co. Ltd, producer of the chassis and host of the auction.

Zhao said Foton produced the chassis for 42 out of the 60 floats used in the parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The company sold 19 of them to provincial and municipal governments before the parade and rented the rest to the headquarters in charge of the parade.

The 60 floats, which were displayed at the Tian'anmen Square after the parade, attracted flocks of visitors.

"I am glad to get two chassis at the auction," said a bidder with a logistics company based in east China's Lianyungang City.

"The chassis are of high quality and high technology," he said." Besides, the donation auction is meaningful."

(Xinhua News Agency November 4, 2009)